Efficient Probe Station Placement and Probe Set Selection for Fault Localization

Network fault management has been a focus of research activity with more emphasis on fault localization - zero down exact source of a failure from set of observed failures. Fault diagnosis is a central aspect of network fault management. Since faults are unavoidable in communication systems, their quick detection and isolation is essential for the robustness, reliability, and accessibility of a system. Probing technique for fault localization involves placement of probe stations (Probe stations are specially instrumented nodes from where probes can be sent to monitor the network) which affects the diagnosis capability of the probes sent by the probe stations. Probe station locations affect probing efficiency, monitoring capability, and deployment cost.